A Tale of Us
by always-a-villain
Summary: AU: King Leopold invites the lord of Sherwood and his oldest son, Robin (19 years) to stay at his castle in hopes of an alliance between his kingdom and Sherwood... But what happens when the lord's son and the young queen Regina start to fall in love? OQ
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, be careful!" Regina said to a maid when she pricked her with a needle.

"I'm sorry, your majesty." The woman answered and continued working on the dress. The king was expecting a visit from the lord of Sherwood and his oldest son and he wanted everything to be perfect. The visit was important to the king, because Sherwood had many natural riches and he wanted to be able to use that. For many centuries Sherwood was independent and wouldn't cooperate with other kingdoms, for the king, that visit was an opportunity to change that.

There was a knock on the door and the door opened revealing a very excited Snow.

"Mother!" The girl called and ran in the room.

"Yes, Snow?" Regina asked, trying not to sound bitter.

"Father send me to get you, our guests have arrived."

"I think the guests are going to have to wait a couple more minutes until my dress is done." Regina answered shortly, unlike the king she wasn't eager to meet the lord, she knew that Sherwood lords only exited their borders when they wanted something.

"I'll wait with you." Snow said and sat on the bed, after a few moments of silence she spoke again. "Do you think father will make me marry the lord's son?"

"No, the lord's son is 19." _Just like me_, she thought. "And you are only 13, your father loves you, he would never force you into a marriage you do not desire and certainly not this young." Regina explained to the girl.

After a few minutes the dress was ready and Snow and Regina walked to the Throne Room together. There they found king Leopold sitting in a seat at table instead of his usually position on the throne.

"And this is my wife and you already met my daughter." The king presented them when he noticed them.

"Pleasure of meeting you, Your Majesty." The lord said as he was about to shake her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." Regina said back respectfully.

"And this is my oldest son, Robin." The lord said and motioned to his son who was standing next to him. Regina took a good look of him, he had light brown hair, blue eyes, he was dressed in silk and satin like a true royal, but Regina could see some kind of spark in his eyes that suggested that he enjoyed the visit as much as she did, which was close to hating it.

Robin also observed the queen, she looked young, perhaps somewhere around his age, she had chocolate brown eyes and curly, raven hair that stopped on the middle of her back. He suddenly remembered his manners and he took her hand into his and kissed it gently. "Your Majesty."

"Oh, please, it's Regina." He still held her hand in his, which was too long for the king's liking, so he loudly cleared his throat and added: "We should all sit back down."

Robin let her hand go and Regina couldn't help herself but miss the warmth of his touch. The king sat at the head of the table, the lord and his son on his right and Regina and Snow on his left.

"The cooks really outdid themselves today." Snow whispered to Regina. Regina faked a smile and nodded. Snow was right, the feast was one of the best ones Regina has ever been to, so many meals were put in front of them and they were all so beautifully decorated that Regina couldn't eat some of them because she'd be sorry to ruin them.

"Excuse us, but Snow has to go to sleep and rest for tomorrow." Regina said once the king and the lord started to discuss knights and tournaments.

"Yes, of course, and why don't you take Robin with you? When you escort Snow to her room, show him around the castle, the gardens, whatever he wants to see."

"Alright. Lord, have a wonderful night, Robin, if you could come with us, please." Regina said and soon the three of them were headed to Snow's chambers.

"Why did you come here?" Snow asked Robin when they were halfway to her chambers.

"Snow!" Regina scolded.

"No, it's okay. My father answered to one of the many invites of your father, the king, and I'm here to observe and learn." Robin explained.

"You're learning because you're going to become the lord after your father?"

"Yes, that's right, princess."

They were in front of Snow's chambers when they spoke again.

"Goodnight, Robin." Snow said, Robin responded with a nod, than she hugged Regina and said "Goodnight, mother."

"Goodnight." Regina said and quickly let go of the girl.

"So, where do you want to go?" Regina asked once she and Robin were left alone.

"Where ever you lead me, milady."

"I told you to call me Regina." Regina said and lead him on the balcony that looked over the Royal gardens.

"What a view." Robin said, looking at the rows and circles of flowers and one particular tree caught his eye, there were no flowers around it, it stood on the middle of the garden, the center of it all.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?"

"Absolutely stunning." He wasn't looking at the gardens, he was looking at her when he said it.

"Yes." She said not turning to look at him. "You see that tree in the middle? That's my apple tree, I've had it since I was a little girl, it was one of my requests when I married the king. He and his daughter don't go to it often, they both know that that's where I come to think and enjoy the quietness of it." She didn't know why she was telling him that, she found it refreshingly easy to talk to him.

"Do you have a place in this castle where you can practice archery?" He asked her after a few minutes of silence.

"There is one outside, but there's one indoors that you can practice when it's cold or when there is no light. Follow me." Regina said and lead him down the many stairs and many turns.

"Leave us." Regina ordered to the guards when she and Robin entered. The guards immediately listened and left the room. "So, what do you think?" Regina asked as Robin looked around.

"This place is amazing." He said and picked one bow and an arrow, he went in front of the targets and placed the arrow in it's place. He took a deep breath and released it, the arrow hit the center of the target.

"That was impressive." Regina commented.

"Thank you, Your… Regina. Do you know archery?"

"No. I don't really like pointy sticks."

"Robin, it's getting late, we have to get going." Regina said after a while. Robin put the bow and the arrows back where they were in the first place.

"Will you escort me to my bedchambers, now?" Robin asked and Regina nodded in response. They walked in silence and only stopped when they were in front of his chambers.

"You are in this one, your father is in the room next to you. The room at the end of the hall is the king's, the one right to it is Snow's and the one left to the king's chambers is mine." Regina explained.

"You and the king don't sleep in the same room?"

"No, it was also one of my requests. Our marriage is not one born out of love, you could even say that I was forced into it." She said, remembering her mother.

"What else did you request? If I may ask."

"My father and my horse from back home." Regina replied shortly. "I found you refreshing, Robin of Locksey."

"How so?"

"You are the only person in this castle, besides my father, that I can have a normal conversation with, you are so easy to talk to. I didn't have to fake anything while I was with you."

"The feeling is mutual." Robin said when she finished. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

Regina blushed and smiled shyly. "You are not so bad yourself."

"Will you be at the breakfast tomorrow morning?" Robin asked, wanting to see her again.

"No, I have a private breakfast with my father every morning. But you will definitely see me tomorrow, just not in the morning."

"Well, then." He took her hand and kissed it again. "Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Robin."

_**I'm back with a new story! Yes! I've had this idea for a while now, I'm excited to have finally wrote it. Tell me what you think and if I should continue….**_


	2. Chapter 2

"What's got you in such high spirits, my darling?" Henry asked Regina when he noticed she smiled more often and that most of them weren't fake or forced, they were sincere.

"Well, for starters, I haven't seen the king or his spoiled daughter yet."

"Regina, that girl loves you, she doesn't know what she did."

"Why are you defending her?! The day Daniel died, a part of me died with him, when I lost him I swore that I will not let myself feel like that again, that I will never go through all of this pain. I asked her for one thing, one thing only and she couldn't do it, she couldn't keep her mouth shut! I watched him die!" Regina said but she didn't raise her voice, not once, her voice was more of a harsh whisper.

"Have you told her that? No, you didn't. Why? Because you care for her too, I know you will never admit it, but it's the truth." Henry said gently.

"When did I become an open book?" She asked because she couldn't deny his words but she also couldn't admit it.

"To me, you were always an open book, Regina. I know you, I watched you grow up, I raised you, I always know what's on your mind." Henry said and they fell into the comfortable silence as they ate.

"Thank you." Regina said once they finished eating.

"What for?"

"For just being you." Regina simply answered and kissed her father's cheek as she exited the room.

"Regina, I didn't expect you to join us so soon." The king said when he saw her coming their way.

"I wanted to see if you needed my assistance." Regina answered respectfully with her usual fake smile in place.

"That's nice of you, but we don't. You can join us, we were just about to go in the castle and discuss the possibilities of our corporation." The king said to her, not wanting to say anything more in front of the lord and his son.

"Do you mind if Her Majesty shows me the grounds once again?" Robin asked when he noticed that she really didn't want to go inside.

"Oh, please. You need to learn where everything is." King said and then led the king into the Throne Room.

"What do you want to see this time?" Regina asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Anything." He simply stated, just wanting to spend time with her.

"I know just the place." Regina said and started leading him inside the forest. Robin had someone questions to ask her, but he stayed quiet. They walked around 20 minutes, when they saw a lake, around it there were trees, flowers…

"This place is wonderful." Robin commented as he sat on the rock next to the lake.

"Yes, it is. And very peaceful." Regina added and sat next to him.

"Why did you bring me here, Regina?" Robin asked after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm? I thought you would enjoy quietness, but we can go back if you'd like."

"No, I'm fine." Robin said and silence fell upon them once again.

"Why did you want me to show you around the castle? Aren't you here to observe and learn?" Regina asked breaking the silence once again.

"I enjoy spending my time with you… I don't want to be the next lord, my father knows that and that's why we came here in the first place, he was hoping that I would change my mind."

"And what is it that you want?" Regina asked curiously.

"I want to feel free, maybe live in the woods, no fortune, no fancy suits, just me the way I am." At her words, a flood of memories came crashing down, but before she could react properly, he abruptly stood up, startling her.

"Someone's here." He said as he pulled her behind him, a man riding a horse was approaching them, he heard Regina sigh of the relief, but he still put his hand on the handle of his sword, ready to fight if necessary. Robin preferred arrows over swords any day, but his father wanted him to improve his fencing skills.

"Don't do that." Regina said and smacked his hand from the handle.

"What? Why?" Robin asked her, clearly confused.

"That's my father!" She said and waited for Henry to come closer.

"Regina!" Henry called her, clearly in panic. He came off of the horse and hurried to her.

"Dad? What's going on?" She asked wanting to know what had her father so rattled.

"You have to come back. Hurry!" Henry said and took her hand.

"Dad! You are scaring me… Tell me what happened." Regina tried to calm him down, even thou she was starting to panic herself.

"Rumplestilstkin. He came into the castle, he demanded to see you, when we told him that we didn't know he started torturing the servants, you have to help them."

"Okay, okay." Regina said and took a deep breath in order to calm herself and try to organize her thoughts. "Dad, you stay here." When she saw he was about to protest, she cut him off. "I have no idea why he is mad, but he knows that the easiest way to get to me is through you. Stay here for at least an hour and then come back with the horse." Henry wanted to say something, to go with her but he knew that once Regina set something, she wouldn't budge, she just might use magic to keep him there, to keep him safe, seeing no other way but to listen to her, he nodded.

"Robin… Do you trust me?" Regina asked, turning around so that she could face him.

"Trust? Regina, I barely know you."

"Yes, yes, I know, but do you feel threatened in my presence?" Regina tried again, reformulating the question.

"No." Robin answered immediately.

"Remember that once we get there." Regina said and took a hold of his hand and let the smoke round them.

"What the…? How did we get here?" Robin asked as he looked around, they were no longer in the forest, by the lake, they were in the Royal Gardens.

"I'll explain everything later, I promise. But, I need to know why is Rumplestilstkin looking for me." She said and rushed to the ball room, hoping that they would be there, mostly because she could feel magic from that room. When she entered, she saw a frightened Snow sitting on one of the chairs on the top and the king and Robin's father watching in horror at the scene in front of them. Rumplestilstkin was wearing black leather pants with a coat that matched, at the moment his hand was in the chest of one of the cooks, Regina could see the other staff standing around the room, most of them massaging their chests.

"What do you think you are doing?" She growled at him. Rumplestilstkin pulled his hand out of the cook's chest and let her escape.

"I am getting your attention! You see, I knew that someone would go and bid you when they heard that all of these people are getting tortured because of you." He said and he added one impish giggle at the end.

"Why are you doing this?" She demanded.

"Because _you _broke our deal!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" She demanded, she remembered every deal she made with him and couldn't remember anything that she did that could of have compromised one of them.

"You promised not to allow yourself to fall in love while I'm training you! It was the only reason why accepted!" Rumplestilstkin said, getting angrier, no one broke a deal with him and lived to talk about it.

"I am not in love!" Regina defended herself.

"Yes, but you are _falling_ in love."

"I am not!" Regina said once again, she remembered the deal very well, she wouldn't dare break a deal with Rumplestilstkin. She stood confused, because she wasn't in love, she didn't understand why he would even think that, there wasn't even any potential persons… or was there? Her gaze moved to Robin and she couldn't be in love with him but she had a feeling that if they met in another life, if they were in different positions she could love him very easily.

"Why are you two looking at me like that?" Robin asked when he noticed the two sorceress watching him.

"Are you kidding me? _Him?_ I'm married, for God's sake!" She said, trying to persuade him but also to convince the king, who was cautiously observing, that she was somewhat faithful.

"Fine, but if I sense a change in your behavior, if you slip, both you and your little friend will get hurt." He threatened and then waved her hand, wiping everyone's memories but their own. He waved his hand once again and he disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

"What happened?" Robin was the first to ask. No one gave him an answer, because no one knew, except Regina.

_**At first I wasn't satisfied with it, so I re-wrote it so many times, I am not sure how it really turned out so leave a review and tell me what you think! And P.S. Rumple's threat is not empty… What will Regina do? How will she fight her own feelings? **_**Will**_** she fight her own feelings?**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Regina!" Her father called when he went into the gardens.

"What?" Regina said, she was in the gardens.

"Where's Rumplestilstkin? What happened?" Henry asked.

"What? You remember?" Regina asked in shock.

"Why wouldn't I?" Her father asked, confused.

"We can't talk here." Regina said, maybe she was being paranoid but she felt like someone was watching her. "Let's go to my chambers." She said and led him inside.

"What is going on?" Henry asked once again when they were in her chambers.

"Rumplestilstkin came here, to make sure I wouldn't break one of our deals, he wiped everyone's memory... but it didn't work on you because you weren't here." Regina said and continued to think out loud. "But Robin witnessed you calling me back, do you think he remembers that?" Henry opened his mouth to say something, but Regina continued instead. "Rumplestilstkin could of have wiped his memories prior to the event too..." Henry, seeing that Regina needed to think, exited the room and left her alone with her thoughts.

**_PAGE BREAK! _**

At first, he was knocking on the door, then when no one opened he started to knock louder, then when he was ignored once more he started to yell.

"REGINA! Open up!" He should of had known his yelling would attract attention.

"What's going on?" Snow asked, getting out of her room.

"She won't open the door." Robin simply answered.

"Maybe she's not there."

"Yes, she is, I talked to her father, Henry, he told me that she was still in here."

"Maybe she's asleep." Snow suggested.

"I think I would of have woken her up by now."

"Why do you want to talk to her about?"

"About... a thing." He answered, guessing that Regina wouldn't want the princess to know about their walk to the lake.

"Let me try." Snow said and knocked lightly on the door. "Regina." She called gently "Father's asking for you."

"Coming!" They heard Regina answer, Robin thanked Snow and she left.

"Oh, not you." Regina said as she opened the door and found Robin on the other side.

"No need to be so excited to see me." Robin said sarcastically. "Why didn't you open the door?"

"Because..." _I can't spend more time with you, because I'm afraid of falling in love with you_ - Regina finished the sentence in her mind. "What are you doing here?" Regina asked, hoping to change the subject.

"You've been avoiding me since we were at the lake... What happened? Was it something I said? Was it something I did?" Robin asked, he didn't see her since they came back in the castle, and surprisingly he felt himself missing her.

"No, Robin." _God, he was blaming himself._ "I am married... To the king, none the less." Regina said, trying to make it believable.

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"People can see us together and make wrong assumptions, people gossip and if the word of it gets to the king... well, I don't want to think what would happen if he sees them true." Regina hated lying to him, but then again it wasn't all lies, people had doubts and many questions about why would a young girl marry a man who is old enough to be her father.

"There is nothing to see... Am I right?" He said and gently lifted her chin so that he could look in her eyes.

"See? This... This is exactly why. If you saw this, a man and a woman who are the same age standing in the middle of the empty hallway with his hand on her face... What would you think?" Regina said, wanting nothing more than to go back inside of her room, curl up on her bed and cry.

"Then no one doesn't need to know." He valued Regina, he thought of her as one of his closest friends, right after Little John. "Come on, I want to show you something."

"Robin..."

"Please, no one will sees us, I promise... But, you might want to change first." He said and glanced at her dress.

"Into what?" Regina said, getting annoyed.

"Some riding clothes, I don't know something comfortable... And nothing that makes you stand out as a royal." Regina got curious, where was he taking her?

"Fine." Regina replied with a huff.

"Meet me in the gardens in about half an hour. I'll go change too." Robin said, turned around and entered his chambers.

"Half an hour... Okay, I can manage with half an hour." Regina whispered to herself as she too went in her chambers.

**_PAGE BREAK! _**

"Where to now?" She asked him, he was standing in the gardens, completely oblivious to everything that was happening around him.

"Wow, even in ordinary clothes you look amazing." Robin commented, she was wearing a short sleeved cotton shirt paired with pants and riding boots.

"Robin." She warned him.

"Fine... I get it, no complimenting, no anything that could be seen as something it's not." He too was in ordinary clothes, Regina noted. He wore a tunic and pants along with a pair of boots and he was holding two old, worn out coats in his hands.

"Let's get going." He said before she could say anything else.

**_PAGE BREAK! _**

"'We won't be seen, I promise.' You are a lying bastard, an idiot. No, wait, I'm an idiot for trusting you." Regina angrily mumbled, but it was loud enough for him to hear.

"I meant we won't be recognized?" Robin tried again. They were currently in the middle of the nearby village, Robin and Regina each wore one of those coats he was holding while they were in the gardens.

"Well, we better not be." Regina said and was about to head walking, but she had no idea where. "Where are we going?" She asked, wanting to get him to move again.

"It's an hour walk in the forest once we get out of this village." Robin said and started walking again, taking the lead.

**_PAGE BREAK! _**

"You are lucky we have nowhere to be till dinner." Regina said, at the pace they were going, she calculated they'd be back in the castle around a quarter of hour before the meal.

"We are here, you can take off the coat now, these people won't recognize you." He said and waited for him to take it off. She handed him the coat and waited impatiently.

"Why aren't we moving?" She asked after a few beats of silence.

"Shush." Robin said, not realizing the mistake he made.

"'Shush'? You don't get to shush me!" She stated and was about to fight him more but he put his palm on her mouth and made her go backwards until her back met with a tree.

"They'll come here. Listen." He said and moved his hand from her mouth. Regina didn't know what she was waiting for, what was she supposed to hear, but she kept quiet. She was about to say something when she heard ruffling of the leaves and… laughter?

"Robin, you came!" A rather large looking man said.

"Little John! I'm so glad to see you." He said and moved away from Regina so that he could hug the man.

"_Little_ John? Yes, cause he sure looks little, like a little bundle of happiness that wouldn't be able to crush a man." Regina babbled when she panicked, and she was panicking, yes, she had magic but she didn't master it all that well,

"Oh, right. Regina, come here." Robin called.

"No, thanks, I rather wouldn't." She said, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice and failing.

"Are you… scared?" Robin asked with a rather amused smile on his face.

_Of what? A huge man? Or the two other that can't stop laughing? Or all of them? _"No." She said and managed to keep her voice stable, she won't give him the satisfaction of watching her feeling weak.

"Good, because you shouldn't. Little John here might look like a bear, but he's actually as harmful as a teddy bear, and all of them here help people, they are all always very happy."

"That's great, a bunch of merry men." Regina commented.

"Come closer, now." Robin said and offered her a hand. She hesitated but eventually took a few steps and took his hand into hers.

"I think you need to be properly introduced. Little John, this is Regina, Regina, this is Little John, my closest friend. He and these two have a camp in the woods."

"Robin, we have to get going if we plan on getting back in time." Regina called, she couldn't stand being interrogated by the king or even worse his daughter.

"Don't worry… There's time for everything." He said and started to follow the three men.

"You better be right."

**_PAGE BREAK! _**

**_I know, I know… I'm sorry for not updating sooner just school took over and all of the excitement for the premiere and I barely had a time to write (school, lame excuse, I know)… Anyway, tell me what you think about this… Am I headed off the track here? (I just want to enjoy there little non-existing (for now) young love for a while, does that make me a bad person?) And the "_****_PAGE BREAK! _****_"_** **_thing was in order to separate events and stuff._**


	4. Chapter 4

"The king is going to kill me!" Regina exclaimed, completely furious with Robin.

"You're overreacting. He might be mad, but under all of that he'll be thankful."

"Seriously? For what?"

"That we were late for the dinner, not for the ball tomorrow evening." Robin said, trying to make her less angry with him.

"Hold up! A ball?! Oh my God, I forgot about that." Regina said and waited for him to open the doors to the dining room.

"See? What would you do without me?" Robin asked with a cheeky grin on place. He stopped grinning and put on the smile that was full of respect for the king. "You ready?" She just nodded in response and he opened the door.

"Regina!" and "Robin!" were heard from the lord of Sherwood and the king. The lord's tone sounded like he was relieved while the king's just seemed like he was angry.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" The king said to Regina, using the sternest tone he could muster, he didn't wait for her to respond and he took her hand and got her outside of the room.

"You are hurting me!" Regina said when her knuckles started to go white and the king gripped her hand so much that it began to hurt.

"What were you doing with this man?" The king said, letting her hand free.

"What _I was doing_? What does _His Majesty_ think I was doing?" Regina let it slip, not even bothering to cover up the venomous voice she used when she said his title.

"Regina, you willing stepped into this marriage…" The king started but she cut him off.

"No! Don't you dare say that! I don't care if you're the king, don't ever say that again!" She yelled, that was the first time she ever stood up to the king and she had no idea why she was doing it, she felt like if she kept all of her feelings bottled up, one day she could explode. "I… there was nothing willingly in this marriage! My mother responded to your proposal, no one even bothered to ask what I want… No one in this damned castle even bothered to know me… the real me… until Robin came along… We… I didn't cheat on you, I made a commitment to you, to Snow White, to this kingdom and I won't change that… not even if I feel like loving again." Regina confessed, there it was, her whole big secret.

"Why didn't you say something?" Leopold asked. "If I had known, I would have had…"

"What? You would have had what? It doesn't matter anymore. I'm bound to you till death do us apart… Can I be excused?"

"Yes, of course." The king said, needing more time to process what she had told him.

**PAGE BREAK**

"Why did I say that?" Regina said out loud, she was alone in her chambers, no none could hear her anyway. "How could I have said that?" She said again and put her hand on her head and started to pace up and down her room. "I'm an idiot!" She exclaimed.

After a few moments she heard light knocking on the doors. "Come in." She called.

Snow entered the room and sat down on Regina's bed. "Where were you?"

"And where were you? You weren't in the dining room when I came back."

"I asked if I could be excused." Snow said calmly. "Where were you?" She tried again.

"Snow… why does it matter?"

"Are you going to leave us?" Snow asked again, she knew she was acting like a little child but she couldn't bring herself to care, she loved Regina and she didn't want to see her leave. Without waiting for Regina to respond, she continued. "Is it because of me? Because I can try to change, to do better."

"No, no, Snow. I'm not leaving… where did you get that idea?" Regina moved closer to her and put her hand on her shoulder wanting to comfort her.

"I… I heard you and father talking." Snow admitted quietly.

"Oh… well, then you also heard that I won't be leaving."

"But you don't love him." Snow argued.

"No, I don't… But that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make… you know why? Because I can be close to you, I can spend time with you, the king doesn't have to make me happy or love me because you already do." Regina said, half-lying. She didn't have a clue why she was comforting Snow White out of all people, but she felt like at least Snow should be peaceful and not worry about Regina's problems. Snow hugged Regina and held her tight. "Come on, now, show me your dress for the ball tomorrow." Regina said and quickly let go of her, then, she followed the girl into her room.

"So, how do I look?" Snow said as she twirled once. She was wearing a ball gown that was light pink, the gown didn't have any sleeves so Snow matched it with a pair of gloves in the same color.

"You look beautiful. What are you going to do with your hair?" Regina asked, trying to be interested in what Snow was talking about.

"I think I'll just go with a braid." Snow answered and went to change in her normal clothes. "What are you going to wear?" She asked from behind the dressing curtain thingy*.

"Oh… I… It's going to be a surprise." _Even for me, _she thought. She didn't talk about the dress with the seamstress, she was preoccupied with Robin… but she knew that even if she hadn't talked to her, the seamstress probably had a dress sketched out, sawed and ready for fitting first thing in the morning.

"Who could that be?" Snow asked when she heard knocking on her door, she was back in her normal clothes and was already halfway to the door.

"I don't know, but whoever it is, it's looking for you, we're in your chambers." Regina said and got up, ready to leave.

"Your father wants to speak to you, Princess." The guard who was behind the door said.

"You get going, Snow, it's probably about the ball. I'll be back in my chambers if you need me." Regina said and quickly exited the room.

**PAGE BREAK**

_***- I don't know how to call the thing.  
>AN: Don't kill me, please. I'm sorry for not updating sooner. Leave a review or PM me about what you think.**_

_**I'm also on Tumblr, and you there you can ask me anything if you have any questions. I'm always-a-villain dot tumblr dot com.**_


	5. Chapter 5

"Leave us." The king ordered and maids left the chambers in a matter of seconds.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Regina asked, trying to sound respectful.

"Regina... I expect to see you at a ball tonight."

"And I will be there and I will play my part, if that's why you are here." Regina answered, standing up.

"Regina... I..." His voice sounded pitiful and that made Regina a little bit angry. She didn't need his pity nor she wanted it.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a fitting to get to." And on a nod of his head, she left the room.

**PAGE BREAK**

People bowed their heads as the king and the queen passed them on their way to the two throne chairs at the end of the room. The king wore one of his over expensive white and golden suits while Regina wore a ball gown that to her seemed to weight a ton.

"Why are all these people under masks?" Regina asked the king, clearly confused, but she still kept smiling.

"It's a ball under masks."

"Then, why are we not under masks?"

"Once we walk down to the thrones, we'll go into our chambers where the seamstress will be waiting with new clothes and masks for the both of us."

"Our chambers?"

"You go to yours, I go to mine." The king explained, not getting annoyed with her questions.

"When was this decided?" Regina asked.

"After our... After you were late for the dinner... I don't know how your clothes look like for the evening. This ball is to tell you I'm sorry, I don't know how you'll look and neither will any of these people. This is the night where you can do whatever you like and there'll be no one to know who you are."

After that, Regina didn't know what to say but to thank him. She didn't think he'd do something like this for her, yes, she knew that the king was a good man... but could he be that good? She basically confessed that she didn't love him and that she never will but in return he gave her a night of freedom, and it was more then she could ever ask for. She wondered why he would do that, unless he feels the same way, unless he feels like he'll never love her and surprisingly that was fine with Regina, she could understand, the king lost the love of his life, his soul mate, and he felt like he will never love another woman again, not like that anyway.

"Thank you." She said quietly and stopped faking everything, she didn't have to fake it, she _was_ happy to be there.

**PAGE BREAK**

Regina quietly slipped back into the ball room and hoped that she'd go by unnoticed... but, of course, that wasn't the case.

"Hey, woah, wait a second." She heard someone talking to her, she turned around and saw Robin, he also wore a mask, but she could tell it was him. "I know you, just... who the bloody hell are you?" Robin asked, not really hoping for an answer.

"Robin... Hi." She finally managed to say.

"Regina?"

"Yes... This is a gift from the king, no one knows who I am now, not even the king himself."

"Then... May I have this dance?" He said and offered her his hand, she took it and smiled brightly.

"What are we doing?" She asked after few minutes of dance.

"Dancing." He answered, knowing that that wasn't what she meant. "I don't know." He then added quietly.

"I'm married." She repeated for maybe the tenth time since he came in the castle.

"So you keep saying... What do you think we're doing?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I'm scared of it." Regina confessed

"Why?"

"Because there's Rumplestilstkin, there's the king, this whole damned kingdom."

"Who's Rumplestilstkin?"

"I... I didn't say his name, did I?" Regina asked fearfully.

"Yes, you did. Why? Who is he?" Robin asked.

"You called, dearie?" Rumple said as he appeared in a cloud of red smoke.

"No, I was having a private conversation."

"And you were talking about me? You should know better, dearie." Rumple said, scolding her.

"Excuse me, _dearie._" Robin mocked. "But who are you?"

"We had a deal." Rumple warned her, ignoring Robin.

"Yes, yes we did." Regina said as something came to her. "Yes, I didn't hold my end of it, but you won't stop teaching me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you need me, you need me to enact your damned curse." At seeing the surprised look on his face, she continued. "Oh, yes, I know all about that. I am better than you think of me, Rumplestilstkin."

"Yes, you're right. But what's to stop me from killing him?" He asked, clearly talking about Robin.

"You kill him and you'll never see your precious curse at work."

"Fine... But I'm warning you, Regina, don't think you can outsmart me again." He said and disappeared.

"Who was that?" Robin asked again.

"There's something I need to tell you... but not here. Come on." She said, took his hand and led them on the balcony.

"What did...?" But before he could say anything else, she cut him off.

"Shut up." She said and took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. "That man you saw was Rumplestilstkin." Regina said, knowing that Rumple wouldn't bother showing up again. "He's also known as The Dark One. He is the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, he makes deals with people and often tricks them as well. After my mother killed my love, I met him... On my wedding day, he gave me a gift of sorts, it was a looking glass. He told me I could get rid of my mother that way, I used magic and pushed her into it... I never meant to actually learn magic, I just wanted to get away from her, but as the story often goes I stayed, I didn't run away as I planned, I stayed, married the king and Rumplestilstkin started teaching me and he only did so, because we made a deal, he'll teach me but I mustn't ever fall in love. Now, I broke it, I broke his deal." She confessed at last.

"Regina... Why didn't you say something?" Robin asked.

"And what was I supposed to say? That I know magic or that I am in love with you?!" Regina snapped at him.

"You're in love with me." It wasn't a question, it wasn't a statement, it was a bit of both. He went closer and put his hand on her cheek. "I'm in love with you as well, Regina." He confessed quietly.

"You are? But you can't be. I'm damaged, my heart broke when my mother killed Daniel, no one could ever be in love me." She was crying by that but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Regina... Don't say that. Yes, you have a broken heart, and yeah, maybe you're damaged and that makes you human. You are not a monster, you are just hurt and you are angry and you have every right to be. But you are a warrior as well, you smile, you laugh, you love. Everyone would be honoured to be in love you, just as I am."

"You promise?"

"Yes, and I also promise that I'll stand by you in any situation and if you ever go too deep, or go to dark, I'll be there to pull you back." He promised.

"What happens now?" She asked.

"Everything that happens next."

**PAGE BREAK**

_**A/N: that last part ("what happens now? -everything that happens next.") is from Bones and I put it there because I thought it was vert fitting for them. This story isn't nowhere near over, this chapter is more of a transition to the next ones where things won't be as fairy tale as these one so far, but the good thing is they both know how they feel towards each other, right? So, my lovelies, leave a review or PM and tell me what you think... P.S. Reviews motivate me to write (just saying, I am not implying anything here) **_


	6. Chapter 6

"Can we go to see Little John today?" Regina asked, getting down off of her horse.

"Oh, bored of me already?" Robin asked once he got down next to her.

"Of you? Always." She said playfully.

"Oh, Your Majesty, that hurt." Robin said and mockingly put a hand across his heart. He then smiled and looked up at her "Kiss it better?" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and pulled away.

"I just meant with the king and your father out of the palace, we could visit Little John and your Merry Men."

"Fine." He agreed.

* * *

><p>"Robin! Stop!" Regina screamed and Robin stopped the horse immediately.<p>

"What's going on?" He asked confused, they were halfway to John's camp.

"There's someone there... On the ground." Regina said and got off of her horse.

"There's no one there." He said but he noticed her kneeling. "Regina, what are you doing?"

Regina ignored him and continued talking. "What's the matter?" She asked the fairy that was on the ground. "Why don't you change into your human form?"

"I can't... I need water." The fairy mumbled and Regina went back to the horse and took the water and gave it to the fairy.

"That's too big for me in this form."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry." Regina said and opened the bottle, she took the cap and poured water into it.

"Do you think you can change now?" Regina asked after a few minutes. The fairy didn't respond and after a few seconds a girl with blond hair and green dress was in front of them.

"Woah." Regina heard Robin say in awe.

"I'm Tinker Bell." The fairy introduced herself.

"I'm Regina and this is Robin."

"Thank you, Regina. I am in your debt."

"Oh, don't. I'm sure everyone would to the same."

"No, they wouldn't." Tink simply answered and made her wings appear and she flew off with a goodbye.

"You are amazing." He commented after a few moments of silence.

"Why do you say that?"

"The way you helped that fairy... Not everyone would do the same... Not everyone could see her..."

"That doesn't make me amazing or anything... I simply helped... Can we move on?" Regina asked.

"Fine... M'lady."

* * *

><p>"Little John, it's so good to see you again." Regina said as she hugged him.<p>

"You too, Regina." They had arrived a couple minutes before at his camp, Robin was already with the rest of the men, talking about archery and Sherwood.

"Why aren't you there? With them?" Little John asked Regina after a few moments.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I've been in Sherwood, I know all about it. And I'm not very good with arrows, so the archery talk is not really what I want to hear... Now, what about you?"

"He's... He... Sherwood is his home, if the lord or the king ever found out about us I'd never see him again. He'd be in Sherwood and I'd be trapped in that god damned castle. I can't bear to listen to him talk about his home because I know that it's inevitable that he'll go back it's just a matter of time... The king will make this deal and the lord and his son will have to go back to their home." Regina said, trying her hardest not to start crying, Little John simply put his hand around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"You're right, he'll have to go home but that shouldn't have to stop you from enjoying your time with him." Little John said and let go of her. He excused himself and left her alone to think.

Regina just stood for a couple of moments and then went to join the group of men who were listening Robin's stories, she could worry about him leaving some other time.

* * *

><p>"Did you have fun?" Robin asked as they entered castle grounds.<p>

"Yes… What about you?"

"I had fun as well… talking about my home and everything… You were right to suggest that we go visit them."

"I… I have to get going, I'm sorry. We'll talk later." Regina said and she walked in to the castle. She was grateful that the halls were empty so she got to her chambers in relatively short time. She lied down on her bed, hugging a pillow close to her.

She was being ridiculous and she knew that, but somehow she couldn't stop herself. She tried to go over her conversation with Little John again, she tried to calm down like she did before, but she didn't want to… She wanted to cry, she didn't want to pretend, not while she was by herself.

After an hour or two she heard light knocking on her doors. Before she opened, she went to her mirror and made sure that she didn't look like she was crying.

"Just a second!" She said as the knocking became louder, she fixed her make up and went to the door. She opened it and found one of the guards waiting for her. "Yes?"

"The king has arrived, he requested your presence." The guard said after he bowed to her.

"Oh… Where is the king?"

"In the dining room, he's there with his guests and his daughter." The guard said. Regina exited her room and went in the direction of the dining room, she noticed the guard following her but didn't say anything. She opened the door of the dining room with her usual smile on her lips.

"Regina."

"Your Majesty." Regina answered to the king and sat on her usual place next to Snow White. "I'm sorry if I seem rude, but is there a special reason you've requested my presence?" Regina asked politely.

"Yes… The guard who has followed you to here will be your personal guard."

"My what?" She repeated.

"Your personal guard, he will follow you around at all times so that you'll be safe." The king said but she knew the truth, he wasn't there to keep her safe, he was there to make sure that she wasn't seeing anyone behind the king's back.

"No!" Regina said, standing up. "I don't need him!"

"Yes, you do."

"Oh, wait, let me get this straight, is this 'personal guard' here to keep me safe or is he here so that you could be sure that I'm not cheating on you?" Regina said, she didn't care that she was arguing with the king in front of the lord of Sherwood or his daughter, she only cared about what was he taking away from her.

"Regina…" The king said, clearly uncomfortable.

"No! And you know what? I am cheating on you, right in front of your nose, but you don't seem to notice. I am cheating on you every waking second, with every single breath I take, because there is someone else on my mind, right now, I'm looking at you but all I can think about is him." Regina said. The king stood up as well and he slapped her.

"HEY!" Robin yelled as he stood up as well. The lord stood up with his son.

"No, Robin." Regina managed, clutching her cheek. "I want my father." She requested and Snow was on her feet and out of the door in a matter of seconds.

"Rumplestilstkin!" She called and waited for him to appear.

"Yes, dearie? Oh, oh, oh, what an unfortunate situation."

"Make Snow White forget what she saw and heard."

"But what do I get in return?" The imp asked.

"The king will help with that, he wouldn't want his daughter to grow up knowing the temper her dearest father has." Regina said and boldly started at the king.

"What do you want?" The king then asked The Dark One.

"Oh, it's simple… I want him to be gone, out of this castle, both him and his father."

"No, you can't do that!" Robin protested.

"If you do fall prey to that request then we will make sure none of our associates ever trades with you, meaning that your kingdom will be left without any kind of incomes." The lord of Sherwood threatened, he wouldn't allow to be played with, he shall come and go as he pleases.

"Is there anything else? Something besides that?"

"There is one thing, but it's more concerning the queen."

"What do you want?" Regina asked.

"I want you to tell him."

"That I'm cheating on him? I already made that clear."

"No, tell him who you are cheating him with." Rumple requested. Before answering Regina looked at Robin and he nodded.

"Fine… Your Majesty, I'm cheating on you with one and only Robin of Locksey." Regina confessed. "Now, Snow." Rumple waved his hand and said "It's been taking care of."

"Now off with you, get out." Regina said to Rumple. "The deal was for me to tell him not for you to see his reaction, but I'm pretty sure that you'll see it somehow anyway… But you still have to go." Regina said and was relieved when Rumple disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

"What happens now?" She asked the king. "Do we get a divorce?"

"No. We'll stay married… but if you ever talk to me like that again… If you ever talk to me about your dirty little affair… I will have you executed."

"No, you don't get to threaten me. No, it's time for us to switch roles… If you ever hit me again or ever talk down to me like I'm some sort of a toddler, your wife won't be the only person you'll be mourning for."

"No, you wouldn't."

"You saw Rumplestilstkin, he's my mentor… You have no idea what I'm capable of." Regina said and turned to leave the room but a voice stopped her, it wasn't the king or Robin.

"Regina… stay." The lord of Sherwood said.

"I am so sorry for all the trouble I've caused you… I realize that you'll want to keep your son away from me, but please, I beg of you… just let me see him one more time, let us say our goodbyes… in private." Regina said as she turned to face him. Robin was immediately on her side.

"I'm not leaving you."

"I don't think you have a choice." Regina whispered to him.

"She's right… Robin, you'll be leaving tomorrow at sun rise. I'll have some of our guards escort you home."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I am so sorry for not updating sooner! Just things have been chaotic this past three weeks, I didn't have the time to write but here I am now with a new update! (YAY) Leave a review or PM and tell me what you think, I'm also on Tumblr so you can also talk to me there ( .com)<strong>_


	7. Chapter 7

"What's next?" Robin asked, he and Regina were sitting under her apple tree, her head on his shoulder.

"I'm guessing that you go back." Regina said, lifting her head so that she could look at him.

"What if I don't want to? What if I want to spend the rest of my days with you?"

"Robin... I want you to stay, but you can't. The king is going mad and your father would never allow you to, he needs an heir, his son." Regina explained, she knew he already knew all of that, but she couldn't let him get his hopes up for nothing.

"I have brothers." He said quietly.

"I know, but it'll be years till they become of age... I'm not going to let you ruin your life because of me."

"You wouldn't be ruining it... I don't care about the jewels or ruling, I don't care about any of that things. I care about you."

"Well... I don't care about you! I hate you!" Regina said, hoping that would be enough to convince him to listen to his father.

"You're just saying that to make me leave."

"I'm not... I don't love you." Her eyes started to water. "You ruined my marriage! You're a son of a lord, I'm a queen! I couldn't never love such a person! I despise you with whole of my soul!" She was crying by the time she finished.

"I love you."

"I don't want you here!" Regina yelled.

"Fine, then this is the last you'll see of me... Your Majesty." He said and walked away. Regina fell on the ground and started to sob and cry and scream, it was all her fault, she wanted him to listen to his father to rule his land and now he will. She felt someone putting their arms around her and she tried to push them away.

"Regina, it's okay. It's me." Her father said and knelled next to her, he pulled her in his arms and let her cry. He hated seeing his little girl like that, he cursed whoever made her cry.

"You have to get up, darling. It's almost sun rise." Regina didn't believe his words until she saw the sky, her father was right which means that she and Robin spend almost the entire night by her apple tree. Regina stood up and she took her father's hand as they were going back to the castle.

She never saw Robin of Locksey again... Until...

* * *

><p>"Are you ready to go, sire?" The man who was taking him home asked him.<p>

"Yes." Robin said with a sigh. They started the ride and after just a few moments he order the man to change the way they were heading, he had to visit Little John and his Merry Men as Regina called them.

"We're here, sire." The man said and bowed his head. Robin nodded to the man and started to call for little John.

"Little John!" He called and soon a bear of a man appeared, they went a bit further in the forest and they talked about their futures, about a band of noble thieves.

He never saw Regina again... Until...

* * *

><p><strong><em>Enchanted Forest, many years later<em>**

"Damn him! He just couldn't stay a life, could he?" Regina ranted.

"Regina, I don't think it's the best time for that." Snow said.

"Nobody asked you." Regina said.

"We just got here after 29 years, aren't you excited to be home?"

"This isn't my home! My home is with Henry, my home is lost."

"I understand that, but these people are frightened, we need to calm them down." Snow said as she motioned to the group of people from Storybrooke.

"Well, that's just great."

**PAGE BREAK**

"Regina! Watch out!" Snow yelled but it was too late, the monkey had already grabbed Regina's arm and was lifting her into the air. Snow watched in horror as the beast's claws sunk deeper in Regina's flesh... But then it all changed. The arrow hit the monkey and it dropped Regina to the ground, Snow went closer to her in order to check her wound.

"You looked like you could use the help." Snow heard an accented voice say, she turned around and saw the man who was talking to her.

"Yes." She cleared her throat. "Thank you, we appreciate it." Snow said and turned around again, going back on her task to help Regina.

"Are you okay?" Snow asked.

"What do you think?" Regina snapped and held her wounded arm.

"Can I help?" Regina heard a voice say and was surprised, she couldn't see anyone but Snow.

"Oh, right, yes, sure." Snow said and called the man closer.

"No... No... How?" Regina said as she saw the man, almost immediately tears started to fall down her face.

"Regina." He said and she knew that she was right.

"I'll just give you two a moment." Snow said and went deeper into the forest but still stayed close. She was far away not to hear anything but close enough not to be lost.

"I... I... You can't be..." Regina said between breaths. "I'm imagining things because I suffered a blood loss... You're not real."

"Why?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD!" Regina screamed at him.

"I'm right here." Robin said, he had some questions for her, he had things to say to her, but first he had to calm her down.

"No, you're not... My mind is playing with me, it wants to hurt me... Is Henry waiting somewhere behind a tree?"

"Your father?" Robin asked, confused.

"No, my son. You're a figment of my imagination, you're supposed to know that, you're supposed to know that I'll never see him again, that he's lost to me... Like Robin. The last words I said to him were full of hate, I never meant them, not one of them." Regina said.

"How did he die?" Robin asked, he had no idea what had happened that made her this set on believing that he was dead.

"He... umm... He was going back to Sherwood and on his way there, the carriage flipped and killed him." Regina said.

"No, it didn't... Regina, look at me, I'm right here."

"But I watched you die! Rumplestilstkin showed it to me!"

"Rumplestilstkin always wanted me out of your life, he could of had staged it somehow." Robin said.

"Then tell me something... Something only you would now."

"You made a deal to delete Snow memories?"

"Anyone could know that..."

"We loved the gardens, we used to spent a lot of our time there... We'd sit under your tree and you'd put your head on my shoulder and we could stay like that for hours just talking or simply enjoying each other's presence." Robin said.

"That's true... But what the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Sherwood?" Regina demanded.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I know this seems sudden, but you will have everything explained, okay? There will be little flashbacks that kinda lead to this ending, you'll see exactly what Rumple showed Regina, you'll see parts Robin's life, everything will be explained. This is the part I've been waiting for since the beginning! Things are going to be very messy between our (not) couple (nouple?). This is basically the season 3, second part... Everything that happened on the show till that moment happened in the story... The difference is that Robin and Regina used to know each other and the season 3B will play out differently... Leave a review or PM me and tell me what you think. There's a link to my Tumblr in my bio so you can go there and asktalk to me over there! -K _**


	8. Chapter 8

_***flashback***_

"_You got to get up, dearie." Rumple said._

"_Go away!" Regina yelled and refused to get up._

"_Is this about that Robin of yours?" _

"_I swear to Gods, Rumplestilstkin…"_

"_No need for that, deaire… There wasn't anything you could do, it was his time…. Such a shame, he was so young." Rumple said, his voice getting a bit softer as he spoke._

"_Wh-What are you talking about?" Regina asked, standing up._

"_Oh, you mean you don't know? Robin had an accident, he died on his way to Sherwood." _

"_No, no, no… You are lying!" Regina said, her eyes filling with tears. _

"_I'm afraid I'm not."_

"_No, no… Show me!" Regina demanded. Rumplestilstkin waved his hand over one of her mirrors and an image appeared. _

_There was a carriage, or at least parts of it, an older man was searching for something or someone and then when the man found what he was looking for, Regina thought she was going to faint. There was a dead body, Robin's dead body, his body was covered in blood._

"_No… Stop it." Regina said with great sadness in her voice. "Please." She said when Rumple did nothing. _

"_As you wish." Rumple said and waved his hand once again and the image was gone._

"_Leave me be." Regina demanded. Once the imp was gone, she allowed herself to break down._

_***end of flashback***_

Snow found her way back to the queen and the thief, she found them sitting on a log, deep in conversation.

"Hi… sorry to interrupt but we got to get going." She said and waited for them.

"And that's my story." She heard Regina say.

In a matter of moments the two of them were on Snow's side.

The walk back to Robin's camp was awkward to say the least. Snow tried to start a conversation multiple times but Regina and Robin would only answer with "yeah" or "okay".

Regina couldn't believe that Robin was alive, that he was right in front of her. She thought about his life, he had a great one, he had a wife, a son and Regina couldn't stop but wander what would be if they met in another time, would they had a child? Would they be happy? She loved Henry from the depth of her soul and he was her son and nothing could change that but what would it be like having Robin's child? She cleared her head of the crazy thoughts, they couldn't go back to what they once were.

"We're here." Robin announced.

"Oh, thank God." Snow muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked the princess having heard what she said.

"What? You two were as quit as mice, you could cut the tension with a butter knife."

"It wasn't that bad." Regina said and Snow glared at her. "Don't you have a prince to find or something?"

Snow glared at Regina once again but walked away.

"Regina, wait!" Regina could hear Robin say, she ignored him and continued walking. She did want to talk to him, but she needed some time to think… alone, by herself.

"Regina!"

"What?" Regina answered turning around.

"You should get inside the tent, get some sleep." Robin said when he caught up with her.

"Robin, no, okay? I have to go, seeing you, talking to you, it's all just a bit overwhelming. If anyone needs me, I'll be in Rumple's library." And without waiting for his response, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

**PAGE BREAK**

"Well, well, who would have thought?" The witch said as she made the image disappear, she was watching Regina since the moment she stepped foot in The Enchanted Forest.

"Timothy!" She called for one of her most obeying monkeys. The screeching beast flew through the balcony of Regina's castle.

"The archer." Zelena said and waved her hand over one of Regina's mirrors, there an image appeared, an image of a man in his thirties with brown hair and dressed in green. "Bring him to me!" The witch exclaimed at last. "Take as many monkeys as you need, just get him here!"

**PAGE BREAK**

"Regina?" Charming asked as he approached a woman sitting on the log in the woods.

"What do you want?" Regina asked, with great exhaustion in her voice. "Why aren't you in the camp?"

"Snow said you went at Rumple's and yet you're here." Charming said, not really answering her questions, he sat down next to her, it took Regina by surprise to say at least, she was shocked and quietly debated what she should do, but before she could make a move, Charming continued talking. "You may not like it, but we're family, all of us. I don't know what happened between you and Robin but it seemed like maybe, perhaps, you've loved him once if not still."

"You're right… Just… I needed some time, some space… I needed to get away from Robin, Snow's game of twenty questions, people." Regina finished, if she was true to herself, maybe she could call Charming her friend, maybe she could talk to him, do what friends do.

"Come on." Charming said and stood up, he offered her his hand. "Let's get you some space." Regina allowed him to help her up, but let go as soon as she was standing.

"Where are we going?" Regina asked as Charming started leading the way.

"We're going where I was heading."

"You told me everything." Regina said sarcastically.

"There you are, thought we lost you, Your Majesty." Charming said playfully but didn't answer her question.

After a quarter hour of walking, they arrived at a big clearing with some sort of object near the middle. They approached it and Charming went in, he was in there for a few moments but when he got out, two horses were following, one as black as night and another was brown.

Regina laughed at the sight of horses, even after all that time, those animals could still make her feel better.

Regina got closer to the black stallion, she stroke it's head and after a while she whispered "You're a good girl, aren't you?" She climbed onto the horse, she smiled even wider when the animal showed no signs of discomfort.

"Your turn." She said to Charming with a wide grin on her face, she watched as Charming climbed on his horse.

"Where shall we ride?" Charming asked once they were both settled.

"Around the clearing… and then we go back at the camp." Regina said and started to ride the horse, at first she was nervous but then it all came back to her.

**PAGE BREAK**

_**I'm back with an update, yay! First, I'd like to thank my friend for the name Timothy (I really had no idea how to call a flying monkey). There'll be nothing romantic between Regina and David, I just feel like Regina needs a friend who is not Snow, I'd probably have gone with Emma but she's not there. And what do you think? Will Regina and Charming make it to camp in time? PLEASE, review, I would really appreciate if I got some feedback on this fanfiction. **_


	9. Chapter 9

"Charming!" Snow yelled as she saw him and Regina ride into the camp. The camp was under an attack, there were ashes from monkeys, blood from humans and cries of helpless children. Regina and Charming didn't have time to think, they both reacted on instinct and in a matter of moments they were both with weapons, David with a sword and Regina with a fireball in her hand.

Regina went to what seemed the most critical and the least protected spot in the camp, there were only three men fighting with ten or more monkeys.

"What happened?!" She yelled as she killed a monkey with her magic.

"They attacked, we didn't see it coming." Robin said from behind her.

"What do they want?" Regina asked as she focused on her magic once again.

"Me... They wanted me." Robin said and Regina froze and as she did, a monkey used the opportunity and got closer to her, one hit and it could easily kill her, Regina didn't notice but Robin did, he pulled her by her waist and took her place and as he did, he released his arrow. The arrow hit the monkey, but it wasn't enough to kill it, it only scratched one of it's claws, the beast swung it's arm again and grabbed Robin and before anyone could react they were in the air.

Regina watched in horror as the monkey with Robin left her vision.

"ENOUGH!" Regina yelled and all of the monkeys froze and then they burst to flames. They were all turned to ash in a heartbeat. Regina started to look around, wanting to see who had caused it, she couldn't notice anyone that stood out or even had magic, she finally looked down at her hands.

"Did I do that?" She wondered at loud. "No, don't be ridiculous, Regina. You couldn't have done that." Regina whispered and shook her head to clear her thoughts, she had more important things to worry about.

**PAGE BREAK**

"What do we do now?" Snow asked as she sat down for the table.

"We need Belle." Regina said before they started, she looked around there were: Granny, the two Charmings, Archie, Ruby, Grumpy and Little John who represented The Merry Man.

"Why Belle?" David asked.

"If anyone knows what this witch is capable, it's her." Belle loved books and Regina knew that, Belle could of have read something about The Wicked Witch that they were clueless to.

"Fine." Snow said and got up, she exited the room and went to find the beauty.

"It's nice seeing you again, Little John." Regina said as they waited for Snow's return. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, a long while. Come 'ere." The bear of a man said and opened his arms for the queen, Regina got up and allowed him to hug her, she hugged him back after a while and then she started to cry in his shoulder.

"He's gone... Again." Regina said weakly and hid her face away.

"Hey, hey, we'll get him back." Little John said and pulled away so that he could see her face. "I'm sure of it."

Regina smiled and wiped her tears away "You wouldn't happen to be related to Snow, would you?" She asked jokingly. She had to admit, John's words did make her feel a bit better.

"You never saw any of that." Regina said to the rest of the people around the table as the doors started to open.

"Okay, Belle's here, let's get down to business." Snow announced completely oblivious of the queen's little break down.

**PAGE BREAK **

"I have to admit, my sister has a pretty good taste in men." Zelena said as she watch Robin struggling to get out. Zelena waved her hand and froze him on the spot, she waved her hand once again and the thief was in a metal cage.

"Now, now, what's so special about you?" Zelena asked as she eyed him, she could admit that he was easy on the eyes but at the first glance that seemed about it. Oh, she had no idea just how wrong she was.

**PAGE BREAK**

"What do we need to kill her?" Regina asked once Belle finished telling the tale of Oz and it's witches.

"There's nothing really special about it, she can be killed like any normal person." Belle answered.

"So heart-crushing could work?" Regina asked to check.

Belle nodded but Snow interfered "You can't just kill her!"

"Oh? Who's going to stop me? She took Robin, she left a little boy without a father, I am going to save him and once I do, I _will_ kill her." Regina exclaimed.

"You can't just kill her!" Snow repeated herself.

"Yes, I can, I'll simply rip out her heart and crush it and she'll be dead." Regina said with such easiness in her voice as if she was discussing lunch.

"Regina, why kill her? What's the point?"

"The point?" Regina let out a laugh. "The point is we will all be safe! Robin will be here where he's supposed to be in the first place, he shouldn't be her victim."

"This is not your fault, you know that, right?" Snow asked, feeling as that was the real problem.

"But it is." Regina said and stayed quiet, she didn't want to discuss her feelings or open up, she could see that Snow wanted to say something else, but Belle cut her off. Regina has never been more grateful to be in the beauty's presence.

"There is one more thing you should know." Belle paused after that, thinking of how to say it. "There are some... theories... about The Witch's family." Belle took a deep breath in order to calm down.

"Just get on with it." Regina said when she saw Belle debating with herself over something.

"Some of those theories suggest that she was The Queen of Hearts's daughter, her oldest daughter." It didn't take much time for all of the others to realise what that meant, it meant that she was

"My sister." It can't be, she couldn't possibly be, Cora would have told Regina, but then again it was Cora. Hundreds of thoughts went through Regina's mind in milliseconds, flying by before she could process them, so she gave up after a while, she let her brain wander off and think about all of those times with her mother, looking for any kind of sign that Belle's statement could be right.

"Okay, I think we're done here." Regina said and stood up, she went out and slammed the door on her way out. She found her way to the library, she looked for history books about the royal family before her time. She figured that Cora probably tried to infiltrate her way to the throne before, possibly using her other, oldest child.

After few hours of searching, she was ready to give up but then a painting in one of the books caught her attention. There were two people on it and they both seemed familiar and then she saw the golden letters under the painting _King to be Leopold with his pregnant fiancee Cora. _Reginaread the text that was next to it, it said how Cora and Leopold were supposed to get married but then Leopold found out that Cora wasn't carrying his child and he married princess Eva instead.

Regina let the book fall from her hands and she ran, she ran as fast as she could, she didn't know where she was going but she couldn't bring herself to care. She heard someone calling her name but she ignored it and continued running. She finally stopped when she was outside the castle and inside the woods, she was trying to breathe properly, not because of the running but of the what she found out, her mother, her heartless mother married her to a man she was previously engaged with, she married her to a man she had history with, she married her to a man she shared a bed with. Regina started sobbing and crying, she sat down on the ground and leaned her back into a tree. She moved her knees to her chest and under her chin, she wrapped her arms around her legs and cried more.

"Regina..." David said softly, he sat down next to her and put her arm around her. "It will be okay." He whispered over and over again, he had no idea why she was so upset but he won't let that stop him from comforting her, he had a feeling that it wasn't because of Robin and he couldn't help but wonder what was it about, but he wasn't going to ask, he respected to Regina and he was quite fond of the friendship they had. She would tell him when she was be ready or she won't tell him at all.

Regina appreciated having David by her side, she was actually grateful to have him as a friend, not that she would ever admit that. She started to try to breath properly so that she could calm down, it appeared to it was working because after some moments she stopped crying and her breathing was somewhat normal.

"Thank you." Regina whispered, she slowly got up and started to brush off the dirt from her dress.

"You're welcome." David said and stood next to her.

"I... I want to show you something." Regina said and headed back to the castle, the library to be exact.

**PAGE BREAK**

**_It appears that I love writing Regina and David's friendship (oops) but it's because I can see it happening, you know? Snow is way too cheerful and optimistic for Regina. Anyway, back on the subject, I apologise for all the mistakes in the writing, I didn't check this chapter I wanted it up before tonight's episode. You'll get more Robin in the next chapter, I promise. Leave a review and tell me what you think. (I do read all of them) _**


	10. Chapter 10

"You are handsome, I'll give you that, but I still don't understand what is your relation to my sister. It can't be love, I watched her since she was in her twenties, there was no sign of love in her life. So, thief, what is your story?" Zelena asked as she paced up and down the dungeon, she could see that Regina cared for the man, but how did she get to know him? Zelena was torturing Robin in order to get answers from him, when he wouldn't answer a painful wave would wash over his body, everything would hurt and he would be groaning in pain. She would often have to repeat the action multiple times before Robin would answer, she hoped that he would be more cooperative that time and she was still surprised when the thief answered without any kind of means needed.

"We were 19... That's why you never saw me." Robin said and went back to being quiet.

"Do tell me more."

"No." Robin answered sharply, he didn't want that witch to know any more about Regina's life, she appeared to know too much as it was.

"You know what happens when you say no, don't you? Why put yourself through that torture when you'll end up telling me everything at the end either way?" Zelena asked, honestly curious, the thief didn't seem stupid, he should notice that he was telling her everything after a few rounds of torture.

"Or will I? How do you know I'm not feeding you false information? Telling you what you wanted to hear?" Robin asked the witch, and he was doing exactly that, instead of suffering from all of the pain, he'd lie to her but he made sure that it was intertwined with the truth so that it wouldn't be too obvious. Robin watched as the witch processed that information and then as the anger filled her eyes, she looked absolutely furious.

"I didn't want to kill you before, you were a valuable chess piece, but sometimes sacrifices are needed in order to get to the king, or in this situation - to the queen, and then... Well..." Zelena paused and chuckled "checkmate." Zelena then left the dungeon, leaving Robin to his thoughts. Would the witch kill him? Or did she have far worse ideas in her mind for him?

* * *

><p>"I found her!" Regina exclaimed.<p>

"What? Where?" Snow asked when she heard her, the two of them were in the library, Snow was going over some books while Regina had a map in front of her and muttered some spells in order to track the witch.

"My castle."

"This is your castle." Snow said, getting confused.

"Yeah, no, sorry. This is my summer palace, my real castle is up on the hills."

"You used my father's castle as a summer palace?!" Snow said, getting angry.

"Yes? Snow, come on, this castle was full of bad memories for me, I didn't want to spend any more time in here than I had to. I come here, make an appearance, fool people that this is my castle and then go back." Regina explained, the time she spent with the king were bad for her, full of fear and desperation, she didn't want to remember it any more than she had to.

"Fine. I'll call a council meeting in order to discuss our plan, wait for us in the throne room." Snow said and exited the library.

"Like hell I will." Regina said when she was sure the princess couldn't hear her, Regina went into her chambers and stood in front of her full length mirror, the witch wanted an evil queen and she will get one. Regina put her hands up and the purple smoke started to round her, she observed as the smoke started to fade and as it started to reveal her outfit. She wore a black dress with all kinds of gems imbedded in the fabric, the dress was floor length and she had paired it with high heeled boots. Her long hair was pulled up in a high pony tail, her eye makeup had many shades of black while her lipstick was blood red. She looked at her reflection a little more and then she disappeared in the same kind of purple smoke as always.

She appeared at the clearing, maybe two hundred feet away from the castle, at first she was confused and then she noticed magic surrounding the castle, some kind of shield protecting it. Regina lifted both of her hands in the air and got ready to take down the shield, usually she wouldn't even try to do it, but ever since she fought with monkeys, she felt as if she had more power, she focused on taking down the shield and closed her eyes, she kept her eyes close until she felt the earth starting to shake. She saw the shield going down and assumed that it was causing the shaking. After a few moments the shield was completely down and Regina took a tentative step forward, after she found no resistance she continued forward.

* * *

><p>"Where is she?" David asked as he paced up and down the room. They were all gathered and were waiting for Regina.<p>

"I don't know, she should have been here by now." Snow said.

"She went alone, that damned woman!" David exclaimed after a few moments of thinking.

"Why would she do that?" Snow asked.

"If it was me in the castle, would you sit here and plan what you were going to do or would you just go and act on impulse and instinct?"

"Okay, so she has gone after him. What do we do?" Snow asked and sat down.

"I say we let her be." Grumpy said but after a glare Granny sent him, he muttered "Or let's not do that."

"Regina does everything on her own because she never had someone to help her, she was alone for the most of her life, I say it's a habit. And I also say that we need to help her, we still don't know everything that green witch is capable of." Red said.

"But it will take us over two hours to get there, she could be already fighting the witch for all we know, we can't get there fast enough." Belle reasoned.

"We go after her, anyone who wants to, we leave in thirty minutes. Regina is capable of taking care of herself, but she might need our help later… we just hope that we get there on time." David said and ended the meeting, the room was soon empty with only David, Snow and Belle left.

"You know that there is no way that we get there on time, right?" The beauty asked.

"I know, Belle, but we have to try." David answered.

"Just don't say I didn't warn you." Belle said and exited the room.

* * *

><p>Regina rounded the castle and found a secret passage that would leave her straight to the dungeons, one of her prisoners came up with the idea, only he wanted to dug a tunnel with a wooden spoon and his bare hands, Regina made sure that the passage was done before moving the prisoner in another cell and locking the tunnel for everyone but her.<p>

She walked the dark halls for a while until she finally reached a wooden door, she carefully opened the door and found herself inside her dungeons.

"Robin!" She called his name.

"Regina?" A familiar accented voice answered from the dungeon closest to her. Regina got to the bars and waited for him to come closer. When he finally came into the light, Regina had to stop herself from gasping. He was bleeding from his arm and he had blood on his forehead.

"I have to get you out of here." Regina said and purple sparks appeared on her hand, she put her hand on the bars and watched as the bars started to disappear. Regina offered Robin his hand and he took it with little hesitation. Without thinking Regina teleported them both back into her summer palace as she put it.

They appeared in her bed chambers, but Regina couldn't bring herself to care. She helped him down on the bed and then she focused all of her magic on healing him. She healed him, but the blood still remained.

"Roland…" Robin whispered.

"He is here too, he's been asking for you ever since she took you." Regina explained. "Do you want me to go get him?"

"No, get Little John here first, I don't want Roland to see me like this." He answered and Regina was about to leave but he called for her. "Regina… I'm really glad you're here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." _Except by my son's side. _

* * *

><p>"Where do you think you're going?" Regina asked as she got outside the castle and saw a lot of people, mostly Marry Men, getting ready to leave, with Snow and Charming at the front, leading them. Snow and Charming turned around at her voice and stared in shock. "Okay, when you have an answer find me." Regina said and passed them in her search for Little John.<p>

"Little John!" She called when she saw him with little Roland, she got closer to them and took Roland in her arms. "Robin wants to see you."

"Robin?" and "Daddy?" were heard at the same time.

"Yes, he is in my chambers, I rescued him from the witch… She's going to be furious when she finds out."

Little John didn't answer anything, just hugged her and went to find his best friend.

"I wanna see daddy!" Little Roland said.

"I know, sweetie, but daddy's hurt and he needs some time before he can see you… How about we go and play while Little John is with your dad."

"Let's play, Gina." Roland said and waited to be put down, once he was on the ground, he took Regina's hand and started to walk around with her, showing her everything he found interesting.

* * *

><p><strong><em>It looks like Zelena's gonna be trouble, doesn't it? And what do you think is happening with Regina's powers? I know the answer, but I wanna see what you all think, why are they increasing? Leave a review or PM me and tell me what you think. <em>**


	11. Chapter 11

"Daddy!" The boy squealed as he saw his father on the bed, safe and sound.

"Roland." Robin said with the biggest of smiles on his face, he hugged the boy and then helped him up on the bed.

"Why did the bad lady take you, daddy?" Roland asked, looking up to Robin with his dark eyes.

"Roland..." Regina warned from the doorframe and it was the first time Robin noticed she was in the room.

"Come here." Robin called her and patted the space next to him on the bed, Regina listened and sat down next to the two of them.

"Roland, why don't you go and play with Little John? After I've talked with Regina, the two of us can spent the whole day together." Robin offered and the boy nodded in response and happily ran out of the room. Robin missed his son, a day wouldn't pass without him thinking about his boy, about him growing up, playing, being happy, and what would happen to Roland if Regina didn't save him, that was what he wished to discuss with Regina, among other things.

"Hi." He said with a smile.

"Hi? Hi?! Are you kidding me right now?" Regina said, she was overreacting and she knew it, but he could of have died because of her. "She.. She could of have killed you!"

"Regina. Regina!" He repeated himself and grabbed her hands in order to get her attention. "Calm down."

"I can't." She said and tears started to fall down her face. Robin pulled her into a hug and just let her cry on his shoulder, he whispered words like "_I'm fine._" or "_It's gonna be okay."_ into her ear as she cried. Her sobs died down eventually but he still held her close, he waited a little more and then released her so that he could look into her eyes and talk to her.

"It's all my fault." Regina said, breaking the silence.

"It's not."

"But it is. She took you because of me, because she knew that she could use you against me." Regina said, defeated.

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault that I wanted to be close to you, and it most certainly isn't your fault that I love you... Okay it's a bit your fault... but it is not your fault that she took me. Don't blame yourself for that." Robin said almost pleading her.

"You... You love me?" Regina asked, not really believing me.

"I never stopped." Robin answered as if she was asking him what was the colour of the sky while grinning widely.

"You'll be the death of me someday... You and your damned dimples." Regina commented with a hint of playfulness in her voice. "And for the record, I never stopped loving you either." She didn't know who was the first to start kissing but she didn't really care, she was in his arms and his lips were on hers and that was all she cared about at the moment.

"That was... way better than I remember." Robin commented and they both started laughing, it was as if no time has passed and they both stopped to enjoy that, they forgot about the real world outside of the room, Regina was in Robin's arms and it was all that mattered for them in moments like those.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked after a while.

"I'm fine, I'm still sore but fine."

"Sorry about that, it should probably go away till the morning." Regina said. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Roland."

"I'm listening." Regina said and they both became serious and aware of the harsh reality where they had to protect their loved ones from the wicked witch.

"If anything like this happens again, I want you to help raise him. I trust you to take care of him." Robin explained.

"Robin... I can't." Regina whispered and started to get off of the bed but he stopped her grabbing her hand once again.

"Why?"

"My son."

"Henry." It wasn't a question, it was a statement but Regina answered anyway.

"Yes, Henry... Your boy grew on me, he's amazing but I can't take care of him because of Henry... Of what happened to him. I had to give him up and erase his memories of me because Storybrooke was in danger and he would stay all alone if I didn't send him with Emma. I can't raise a child knowing what happened to my own son... I'm sorry." Regina said and pulled her hand away from his grip, she turned on her heels and left the room in a hurry.

**PAGE BREAK**

Regina sat on the floor in the library, her arms were wrapped around her legs and she rested her chin on top of her knees. Tears were falling from her eyes while she sobbed. The opening of the doors startled her but she didn't get up, she stayed in the same position and continued crying not letting anyone disturb her.

"Regina?" It was David's voice, the person she dared to call her friend.

"You have a habit of seeing me cry." Regina said and hugged her knees tighter.

"Yes, and I also have a habit of trying to make you feel better, so, I'm just going to sit here next to you, wrap my arm around you like this and let you cry it all out." David said as he did all of the things he previously said.

Regina rested her head in the crook of David's neck, and started to take deep breaths in order to calm down.

"I saved him." Regina whispered.

"I know, you were amazing." David said.

"I love him."

"I know that as well."

"Is there something you don't know?" Regina asked.

"Yes, why were you crying? Robin's safe."

"Henry." Regina answered and David didn't need further explanation.

"It gets better."

"Does it?" Regina looked at him sceptically.

"No, but that's what I was told... We both lost our children, I know how you feel. I try to listen to Snow's hope speeches and all but the truth is they're both gone and there is no guarantee we will see them again, but I let Snow continue with her hope speeches and optimism because I know that if she didn't have that, she would... lose it." David said and got up. "We'll be fine, okay?" He asked as he offered her his hand.

"We'll be fine." Regina repeated and took his hand, getting up.

"Oh, crap, we are late to that council meeting." David said and they both left the room in a hurry.

**PAGE BREAK**

"What now?" Snow asked, they were having another council meeting only Robin was joining them this time, he was still sore but at least he could move.

The door opened, getting everyone's attention. "We are sorry we're late." Regina said and she and David sat on their usual places around the table, Regina snapped her fingers and the doors closed.

"Well, now, that you two finally showed up, we can continue. We need a plan against the witch." Snow said.

"Actually... You don't." Regina corrected. "I do."

"You can't go against her on your own." Robin said, trying to reason with her.

"No, you don't get a say in this. She can't hurt the people I love and get away with it! I won't allow her to!"

**PAGE BREAK**

**_Good luck tonight, I think we'll all need it because of this mid-season finale! -K _**


	12. Chapter 12

"Regina, we can help." Snow offered, they were still in the council meeting and they weren't getting very far.

"I'm not bringing any of you in danger, not even the _dwarfs_." She said as she glanced at Grumpy.

"No offense taken." Grumpy mumbled.

"You want a plan? Here it is. You don't anyone outside the castle borders, you protect each other and you forget about me."

"Regina…"

"No, David, don't 'Regina' me. You don't realize the amount of danger you are in, as long as I'm here she will be coming here, fighting, killing and taking hostages in order to get to me. Saving Robin was pure luck." Regina said, tired of fighting with them.

"I'm coming with you, there is nothing you can say or do to stop me." Robin said, standing up, challenging her.

"No, you have a son." Regina said standing up as well. They were sitting side by side, so they didn't have to move too much.

"Yes, and I'm keeping my son safe by going with you."

"You are not coming." Regina said, getting closer to him.

"I do believe you are mistaken." Robin said and also moved closer, neither one realized just how close they were, there were mare inches between them.

"Look at what she has done to you." Regina said and put her hand on his cheek remembering how he looked when she first found him.

"But I'm fine now." Robin put his hand on top of hers, he squeezed it and brought it down from his face but didn't let go.

"Robin… You got hurt and you got tortured, because she thought you had a connection with me. She will kill you just to hurt me, she can destroy my life by destroying yours. I need to know you will be safe." Regina said, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"And what better way to know I'm safe than having me next to you?"

"You are not going to give up on this, are you?" Regina asked, knowing she already lost.

"Not really, no." Robin smiled just a bit smugly. "I'll be fine." He said and gave her hand one final squeeze before letting go.

"You better mean it." Regina said and then cleared her voice, turning to other people at the table. "Well, I guess I won't be going alone… Now, if that's settled, I have things to prepare." Regina said and left the room before giving anyone time to answer.

The room cleared out and soon only Snow, David and Robin were the only ones left.

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you." David said to Robin before leaving the room.

"Regina's been through a lot, she's surviving one breath at a time, her heart… it's a wonder that she's still open to the ability to love. My husband and her, they became really close so David's really protective over her." Snow said, feeling like she had to explain.

"I know, Snow… I would never intently hurt her."

**PAGE BREAK**

"But, daddy, you just got home!" Roland said, getting incredibly sad when he found out his dad had to leave again.

"Yes, daddy, you just got home." Regina said copying to young boy as she was walking into her bedchambers, she wasn't eavesdropping on them, she heard what the boy said and couldn't help but walk in. Maybe Roland would stop him from leaving when she couldn't.

"Roland, you know that daddy is very sad to leave you, right? Regina and I are going away because we have to stop the bad witch from hurting anyone again." The boy didn't say anything and just wrapped his hands around Robin's neck, Robin hugged the boy and held him close.

"Robin, you can still stay here." Regina said as she watched Roland holding onto Robin, clearly not wanting to let him go.

"Do you even have a plan?" Robin asked Regina for the first time since he said he would come with her.

"You know what they say, all the best plans are made under pressure." Regina said.

"No one says that… Please, tell me you have a plan."

"Of course I do." _Well, now, I have to make one anyway. _

"Meet me at the front gate in thirty minutes." Regina said and left the chambers, going straight to the library.

**PAGE BREAK**

"Are you ready to go?" Regina asked Robin, they were in front of the gate, they were both on horses and among necessary things (food, water, tent, things like that) they both carried a few weapons. They both had a bow and arrows, a sword and Regina also brought a small dagger that could easily be hidden in her boot.

"There is still time for you to go back."" Regina tried one last time.

"I'm good, thanks. Where are we going first?" Robin asked, they didn't discuss Regina's plan because they didn't have enough time

"The Dark Castle. Rumple had a lot of magical artifacts there, I'm sure we can find something useful and if not, he has this huge library, we can find out more about the wicked witch there." Regina said and started riding.

They didn't ride fast but they also weren't very slow, it was comfortable for the both of them. They could talk easily.

"Your son… he is pretty amazing." Regina started, thinking it would be easier to start by talking about his little bundle of joy.

"Yeah, he really is, he is curious about everything." Robin confirmed.

"Henry was like that at his age too. He could spent the day looking around asking thousands of questions in a minute." Regina started to talk and Robin let her, she didn't talk about Henry often and he wanted to hear more. "He stayed curious to this day… I think… He was curious about everything the last time I saw him… He had great imagination, I always thought he could become a writer someday. Peter Pan, I think you know something about this, Neal mentioned you, Peter Pan wanted Henry's heart… The heart of the truest believer and I'm guessing that that heart of his caused just a bit of that imagination and curiosity."

"He sounds like a great kid."

"He really is."

**PAGE BREAK**

"We should set camp around here somewhere." Regina said once the moon started to set in and night began. "It takes about four hours riding to get to Rumple's castle from here." Usually, Regina wouldn't bother with riding but as much as she hated admitting it, even with her increasing magic she needed to use less of it so that she could be at her best when she'd meet with Zelena.

"How long will it take us to get to your castle from The Dark One's?" Robin asked, setting up a tent.

"We've actually passed my castle about an hour ago, we took the longer route so that the witch couldn't sense us. We'd have to get back, so I'd say around five hours? Give or take."

**PAGE BREAK**

_**I forgot to update last night (oops), but you get the chapter now. And by the way, that mid-season finale left me in tears (OQ, Rumbelle, I couldn't cope). Anyway, leave a review or PM me and tell me what you think. -K**_


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